We have had several people asking us to write on the best way to study and memorize and so we are doing exactly that as we have been doing for successafrica.info readers.
Memorising is one of the difficult things to do as a student especially when you have a lot of things to learn. Studying itself is undoubtedly very difficult but its results have been substantiated to be very promising. Effective studying has been the way to go especially in the 21st Century where you need varied dexterities to survive.
As we are still not off the hook of stress studies present, it is imperative that we adopt strategies that would help us achieve our mark. Researchers for the past years have proven ways one can adopt to easily memorise or consume a lot of materials at a time whilst easily producing when quizzed on.
Apart from the visual and spatial memory techniques, there are many other tricks or habits we can adopt to help our brain remember a lot of information easily. Today, we bring to your desk ten (10) best study habits for memorisation.
Here are the best way to study and memorize
1. Try to understand the information first.
Information that is meaningful and makes sense to you is easily memorable. The best way to do this is to, first of all, translate or understand the content in your local dialect. Once you get the understanding, try to compare or associate it to something easily identifiable and you will surely have a higher chance of memorising easily.
2. Sleep on it.
Studies show that the brain processes and stores information whilst you are asleep. Your best bet is to memorise what you have learnt before going to bed even if it is for a few minutes. Practice this and you would surely share this article with your friends.
3. Quiz yourself.
One problem we have identified is that students always think they know after learning. Nevertheless, one way to really test whether what you learnt stuck in your memory is to examine yourself. Don’t think you know or familiar with what you read because you reread it over and over again, instead, ask yourself questions and try to answer them without looking at the answer or material. This helps you to identify the areas you struggle to memorise and you can use any of the techniques to memorise them again.
4. Write it out.
As you take practical measures to memorise what you learn, it is very important to write what you learn too. Try writing your notes with your own hands or reorganise your notes after lectures. There is a direct connection between the brain and the hands, so you stand a high chance of remembering what you learn as you write. Not only that, try as much as possible to read audibly and visualise it too.
5. Talk to yourself.
Does that look strange to you?. Obviously yes but talking to yourself about the material you are trying to memorise can be an effective memory tool. You should start talking to yourself rather than rereading the information. This helps you to even explain what you have learnt in your own words that help you to easily remember it.
6. Another best way to study and memorize is to Exercise.
Exercising aside for this purpose is generally good for our health. Whilst activating the various organs of our body, it creates neurons in the areas that relate to memory which improves our memory and learning capabilities. Cardio and resistance training both have a vital effect, so it very important that you identify and do what works for you.
7. Use Memorable Visual Images.
You can use memorable visual images to represent what you learn. Images are important because research shows that they have direct contact with our visuospatial centres. The use of this technique helps us to remember difficult concepts by tapping into visual areas. However, we advise that you don’t only use the images, the more of the five senses you can use, the easier it will be for you to recall information. Instead of just visualising an image, try to smell, feel, and hear the image as well.
8. Try teaching what you have learned.
Practice they say makes a man perfect so it is not out of place practising what you have memorized. This will help test if you really understand what you have learnt. If you get anyone to listen to you, explain concepts like the Pythagorean Theorem. In doing that, it helps you identify your lapses to better them.
9. Use Apps to Block Distracting Sites.
A lot of us are addicted to our phones and for those who use electronic gadgets for studies, it is very hard to concentrate. Fortunately, there are Apps that can help you control yourself for a specified time. You can do this by blocking websites that distract your attention for a certain amount of time to have your full concentration on the books. These Apps are many and available for download on Playstore and IOS.
10. Take regular study breaks.
You need to pause a bit for the brain to relax before continuing when studying. Take regular breaks when your brain is working to help absorb more information and also keep you motivated and focused when working. At least, take 45-50 minutes off to relax when studying.